The owners of a Huntsville motel insist their decision to replace the United States flag with a Confederate flag following Barack Obama's victory last week in the Presidential election had nothing to do with race.

In a written statement to The Record, the owners of the Faubus Motel did say that the reason for the change in flags was politically driven.

The motel is not associated with its former owner, Alta Faubus, who sold the motel in the 1980's. It has been owned by James and Linda Vandiver since 1996.

Ellen Kreth and Fara Faubus, Alta Faubus' grandchildren and owners of The Madison County Record, stated that they have no association with the Faubus Motel and do not agree with the Vandivers' political views or the flying of the Confederate flag at the motel.

A Fayetteville television station reported the motel's choice of flags following Obama's victory. The station inserted interviews from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of State Colin Powell into the story, talking about the historical significance of Obama being elected.

Some neighbors of the motel have complained to The Record and to the TV station of what the flag symbolizes.

James Vandiver said he had flown the flag before and that he had not heard any negative comments, then said he would only respond to questions in a written statement. The Vandivers issued the following statement to The Record on Tuesday morning:

"On election night, we lowered Old Glory from our flag pole because we are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave (except for our military)," the letter stated. "The sound principals for which Old Glory stood have been abandoned. We raised the rebel flag of the Old South in protest. Since political correctness forces people into a limited frame of reference, we wish to say this loud and clear, this was not about race. We resent having a Marxist in the White House no matter color he is. If Mr. Obama had tried to enter the White House as an ordinary citizen, he would not qualify for a security clearance because of his past associations. We decided if Obama can refuse to properly salute the flag and his buddy, Bill Ayers, could stand on the American flag in a trash-filled alley, then we could take Old Glory down in honor and respect.

"We are angry with a biased, agenda-driven media. We are angry that for the past eight years President Bush and the Republican Party have been blamed by the Democrats and their cohorts in the media for the incomplete and irresponsible way that the group A.C.O.R.N. let down potential voters in the state of Florida in 2000. A.C.O.R.N. has used our tax dollars to carry out, contrary to the law, a partisan "get out the vote" effort of scandalous proportions. The other arm of this nefarious organization bullies and harasses banks and lending institutions to make the risky loans that have jeopardized our nation's financial security. We are outraged that the Democrats, who portray themselves as the great defenders of the night to vote, did not feel compelled to ensure the rights of our military to be guaranteed their full privileges during the election.

"Old Glory is still displayed on our American owned and operated sign. So far, the response from our clientele has been supportive and positive."

Huntsville Mayor Larry Bates had not heard of the motel's choice in flags until Monday.

"I don't have any comment other than to each his own," Bates said. "I wouldn't tell Jim not to do it. It's strictly up to him. It's on his property. The city won't be flying (a Confederate flag)." The motel, located next to Pizza Hut, has a standing sign in front of its offices that reads "American Owned and Operated."

Jessie Bryant, an African-American from Fayetteville who is ending a 14-year run as a member of the Washington County Quorum Court, grew up through the segregation era. Bryant, born in 1926, was asked about her reaction to the Confederate flag being flown at the Huntsville motel.

"It's just his way of expressing his dislike for what happened. If that's his way of protesting what happened, he has the right," Bryant said. "He has the privilege of changing the flag. It's his way of expressing how he feels. It's obviously a dilemma with him. He feels a little bit of his heritage has been taken away, which is not true at all. In America, he still has the same privileges of anybody else. There is nothing we can say or do about it."

Bryant's son, Arkansas State Trooper Louis Bryant, was killed by Wayne Snell during a traffic stop in 1984 on U.S. Highway 71 between De Queen and Texarkana. That stretch of highway is now known as the Trooper Louis Bryant Highway.

On inaguration day, Ole’ Glory will not be raised on the homestead flagpole. She will be retired with honor.

Instead we will raise: {from the top},,a 4’ x 6’ flag of Bonnie Blue, below her will be a 3’ x 5’ flag of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s HQ, below her will be a 3’ x 5’ flag of the Fifth Virginia Cavalry, Company A, CSA [a unit in which an ancestor rode and fought]

He feels a little bit of his heritage has been taken away, which is not true at all. In America, he still has the same privileges of anybody else. There is nothing we can say or do about it."

He didn't say his heritage was taken away from him. He said his nation has been overtaken by a radical marxist element that disrespects the flag by trashing it in an alley way and throwing bombs at the Pentagon.

8
posted on 12/01/2008 11:26:42 AM PST
by weegee
(Sec. of State Clinton. What kind of change is it to keep the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton Oligarchy?)

It is even stranger that they went and asked Ms. Bryant about it. The guy who killed her son was up to his neck in the alleged Mena/Clinton stuff. When they put him to death, he told Jim Guy Tucker to look over his shoulder (before JGT was arrested). Strange.

"On election night, we lowered Old Glory from our flag pole because we are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave (except for our military)," the letter stated. "The sound principals for which Old Glory stood have been abandoned. We raised the rebel flag of the Old South in protest. Since political correctness forces people into a limited frame of reference, we wish to say this loud and clear, this was not about race. We resent having a Marxist in the White House no matter color he is. If Mr. Obama had tried to enter the White House as an ordinary citizen, he would not qualify for a security clearance because of his past associations. We decided if Obama can refuse to properly salute the flag and his buddy, Bill Ayers, could stand on the American flag in a trash-filled alley, then we could take Old Glory down in honor and respect.

I’ll tell you what is in bad taste, I saw a tattered American flag that had been left out in the rain numerous times and was torn at the edges flying next to a perfectly maintained McDonalds’ flag.

Let me know if you ever see a McDonalds’ with a tattered corporate flag flying over the business. That wouldn’t set right with the corporate office. But an American flag can be treated like trash in this country.

14
posted on 12/01/2008 11:28:58 AM PST
by weegee
(Sec. of State Clinton. What kind of change is it to keep the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton Oligarchy?)

Replacing the US flag with a Confederate flag specifically in response to Obama? Yeah, it probably IS about race. But the point ought to be that it’s the motel owners’ right to fly what they like on their own property and espouse whatever message they like. The consequences from any lost revenue are their own.

The Confederate flag should come down. That flag and what it stood for resulted in 618,000 soldier deaths and thousands more injured by hideous wounds and losses of limbs. Few today fully appreciate that the second worst thing that can happen is to have a war fought in your native land.

22
posted on 12/01/2008 11:38:19 AM PST
by Rapscallion
(He is elected. Give him a chance to be a great President, too.)

ok so they are upset about the rebel flag and they do not understand history then.

ever since the supposed reconstruction southerners have been told not to fly their flag.
over am couple of hundred thousand have died for that flag,.
The NAACP are just too thick to understand the flag and have to make it a race issue but they forgot the biggest race riot was not in the south, it was not the south or the rebel flag which flew over slave ships and it was not that flag what went west to take lands away from certain people and kill them ..

I fly the flag on my car and at my house outside and I hope others will and it is not because of obama winning but I know I never want my children joining the military under obama, ever .

People have died for it and the least I can do is put up with a few ignorant dumb arse comments though I have yet to hear one here in north Florida

24
posted on 12/01/2008 11:44:05 AM PST
by manc
(Marriage is between a man and a woman no sick MA,CT sham marriage end racism end affirmative action)

I fly mine now and it was before obama, there is one on my car too and if some ignorant no history educated northern liberal feels insulted then I am insulted about their lack of history and they can go back up north .
I will gladly pay for their gas too to help them go back up north from Fl

28
posted on 12/01/2008 11:46:35 AM PST
by manc
(Marriage is between a man and a woman no sick MA,CT sham marriage end racism end affirmative action)

That flag and what it stood for resulted in 618,000 soldier deaths and thousands more injured by hideous wounds and losses of limbs. Few today fully appreciate that the second worst thing that can happen is to have a war fought in your native land.

It takes two to tango. Someone had to fight the CSA. Whom was that and what flag was it? Obviously that one should come on down too.

LOL true
fly the battle flag and northern liberals and the NAACP show their ignorance , have a stars and bars they have no idea what the flag is

LOL

one rich rich stinking liberal no knowledge of history rich guy once asked me in new york what the flag sticker was on my car, so I told him it was an historical flag, he replies he looks good.
LOL the funny thing is that he had no idea

31
posted on 12/01/2008 11:50:45 AM PST
by manc
(Marriage is between a man and a woman no sick MA,CT sham marriage end racism end affirmative action)

I think I need to come up with a reason to go to Arkansas and spend a few nights in this motel.

If you like senic drives the ride up "The Pigtrail" from Ozark to Eureka Sprigs is real nice and goes right past the Faubus in Huntsville. Governor Faubus was the one who stood the door of the Little Rock Highschool a few decades ago.

first I do not know what you mean what it stood for but if you know history then you would know it was over tax’s and not the liberal northern dumb uneducated view point of slavery.
Even Lincoln made that very clear.

as for war in this country the there was more than one, remember the Apache, Cherokee, infact the 6 nations for the confederacy, Sioux, lakota etc etc.
that was not the battle flag

plus the battle flag was flown to distinguish the two sides in battle, it was not used at first nor was it even made up at that time.

I wished they taught more history , proper historical history in schools.
I had a child who went to school in Boston for a couple of years not too long ago and I was disgusted by the lack of knowledge of people in the north over the war between the states

The people who complain about the flag show themselves up over the issue, as one bumper sticker said in the south I saw,
if you are insulted by my flag then I am insulted by your lack of history

when I say about history being taught in schools or lack of . most people in this country think it was revere who warned people the red coats were coming, most people think it was a massacre in Boston, etc etc.
how many times up north do they ever teach about the supposed reconstruction and how some whites were not allowed to vote for 10 years but blacks were, southerners were killed for singing dixie and flying their flag meanwhile they had lands taken away
, women and girls raped, men killed, farms robbed etc etc
so sad that teachers or most anyway are just too PC

36
posted on 12/01/2008 12:02:55 PM PST
by manc
(Marriage is between a man and a woman no sick MA,CT sham marriage end racism end affirmative action)

I fly mine now and it was before obama, there is one on my car too and if some ignorant no history educated northern liberal feels insulted then I am insulted about their lack of history and they can go back up north .

When NASCAR would come to town there would be a sea of rebel flags and then something happened.

To Southerners, the Confederate flag represents states’ rights. The fact that the right of secession was denied to the South will insure that there is no right of secession to anyone for any reason anytime, anyplace, anywhere, EVER. - The true reason for the Civil War was $$$$$$$$$$$$, not for the now touted “slavery” as the real reason. (Lincoln only freed the slaves in the South, not the North in the Emancipation Proclamation.)

I saw some Civil War movie off and on last week - Riding with the Devil or something, just saw bits and pieces. I think it was about Cantrells (sp?) Raiders which I think was after the war had ended??

ANYWAY - in one scene the younger guys with the Raiders are eating dinner with an older Southern Gentleman that is leaving the fight and moving to Texas. He tells the young raiders something like:

The Northerners built a school up in Lawerenceville. They teach the children what to think, and to think like them. Weve lost because we dont try to tell others how to think. They can do whatever they want.

One young raider ready to lash out scowls You tryin to say what were fightin for aint worth it?

No - weve already lost what we are fighting for.

It went something like that anyway. A defeatist attitude I guess from the older gentleman, but accurate for the Civil War era. I hope it is not accurate for our times, but I fear it is.

BTW, to those who cry racism, the Dixie flag has nothing to do with racism. It is about the Souths wishes to be autonomous.

Of course, none other than the vice president of the Confederacy would disagree with you quite vehemently. Are you familiar with Stephens' Cornerstone Speech? Here's a link for your reading pleasure.

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?documentprint=76

A couple of nice quotes:

"The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institutionAfrican slavery as it exists amongst usthe proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. ", and

"Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slaverysubordination to the superior raceis his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth. "

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